(1) FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates in general to a protective cover for an elongated support member and in particular to a protective cover for a tarp bow used on truck bodies having an open top, the tarp bows supporting a tarp that covers the open top.
(2) DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. RE.31,746, various types of truck and trailer bodies are designed to be loaded through an open top. This creates the necessity for a cover which can be easily attached to the open top to inhibit the free flow of material out of the truck or trailer body or box during high speed movement thereof. A plurality of bows are attached to the top of and transversely of the sides of the truck body or box. These bows support a cover that is attached to the open top to inhibit the free flow of material out of the truck or trailer body. The cover is a tarpaulin or tarp, generally made of canvas, plastic or other flexible material.
These bows can be an unwelcome source of premature tarp wear. Generally the bows are made of metal and rust, welding spatter, sharp corners, irregularities, bow movement, tarp flutter caused by the wind, and aggravation related to the movement of a canvas roll tube across the bows causes vinyl delamination and all of these elements play a part in tarp wear.
Further, a ridge strap runs longitudinally of the truck body and crosses each bow. The ridge strap runs from the front of the box down the center to the back of the box. This strap crosses the top of each bow touching it lightly and assists in supporting the tarp. Ridge strap wear occurs at these points of crossing. When a box is untarped in windy conditions, the ridge strap will oscillate causing the strap to flutter on each bow. This flutter action causes wear on the strap due to the harder bow surface.
In addition, metal bows, both steel and aluminum, tend to leave an imprint, i.e. a black mark, on the tarp where every bow touches it. As the tarp is rolled from one side of the box to the other with a roll tube, this black mark on the bottom side of the tarp is transferred to the top side of the tarp. On lighter colored tarps, this long black mark is clearly visible and unsightly. Truckers with this situation spend a great deal of time and money keeping the appearance of their tarp looking reasonable.
Finally, excessive grain splatter has been a concern for many year. Kernels of grain falling from an elevated conveying tube or combine auger hit the bow with such force that a great many of them bounce out of the truck and over the sides of the truck box. This grain loss is wasteful and aggravating.